Calendar

The cooking guild cooks on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month (except June, July and August), from 10 am to 2 pm, at the President James K. Polk State Historic Site.

Fall 2018.

We begin cooking in September with lessons on rice, Dutch cookery, salt, and using mushroom ketchup we had made to preserve spring mushrooms.

2018

We continue to cook and teach ourselves in our 21st year. In January we did Hannah Glasse’s Thatched house pie [photos in the Photos category]. In February we have made root soup and coffee by roasting the green beans and grinding the beans after roasting.

The NC Museum of History did a live stream/podcast from the kitchen house on cooking ways and foods of the season the end of January. See our description of this under “Reporting”.

2017

At the end of 2016, the cooking guild researched heritage pumpkins. We observed several kinds: tasting it raw, cooked, and baked. They were all good but each of us had our favorite. We did stuff a pumpkin and cooked it in the coals. At the end of the sessions, we dried thin slices of pumpkin for use in the new year’s winter fare.

And yes, this January, we did use the dried pumpkin, rehydrated it into a pulp and baked a pie. On a winter day, a pumpkin pie is eaten…..

This year the guild has already researched egg and butter preservation, spices used in the backcountry; and cheese. We will study sauces and gravies, cullis, broth; make a chartreuse!; ragoo of eggs; spring greens with making a tansy.

More to come…..especially more local research of foods.

Made a root vegetable chartreuse, February 9, 2017

Fall 2016

Recently, the Cooks made little meat pies with stand up tallow crust [rendered beef suet]. These small meat pies were put in lunch pails and eaten cold.

Our cooks are happy to be back in the Polk kitchen. We have had lessons on making candied orange/lemon peel used in baking for special treats. Also in making brandied peaches, we discovered that the left over syrup and brandy is the best “peach brandy.”

This September we are celebrating our 19th year together—-of course we treated ourselves to Syllabub!

In August, the Historical Cooking Guild of the Catawba Valley represented their artistry of cooking at the reception to the Backcountry Artisans in Contemporary Times at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia. We cooked a few historical dishes that the invitees could taste. Our skills of cookery were well received! As well as our cooking techniques exhibit! We were given a 25 out of 10!!

In October, the cooks are involved in 2 big events. We will present a workshop on Food ways with and without a kitchen to the North Carolina Museum Council meet here in Charlotte. We will also be in the tavern at Hart Square, cooking and talking about the doings of the taverns.

Fall2015

We are Cooking! Our kitchen house’s chimney is repaired and we are given the OK to start having fires. So our first fire will be Thursday October 8, 2015.

Oct. 10, Sat.-cooking in down town Kings Mountain, NC, at the hearth of the Barber House.

Oct.22, Th.-seasonal foods

Oct. 24, Sat.-cooking in the tavern at Hart Square

Nov.12, Th.-cooking seasonally

Dec.10, Th.-cooking seasonally

Winter/Spring 2015

Our home, the kitchen cabin, had an accidental roof fire in October 2014. While we are waiting for the roof to be repaired, the cooking guild will be giving 3rd grade kitchen talks under a tent on selected days each month. Please see the Polk staff for the days and availability.

We are also busy preparing two workshops for regional and national ALHFAM meetings. Regionals in February 2015 in Huntsville, Alabama and nationals in June 2015 at Colonial Williamsburg.

We are still practicing hearth cookery each month at Schiele Museum and will be participating at Rural Hill highland games in April.

Upcoming Events

Always Updated!
We list upcoming events of interest to the History Community, updated weekly.
View these events here

Next MHA Meeting

Monday, March 18, 2019

The Great Flood of 1916

Trinity Presbyterian Church. Dinner is as 6:30 followed by the program at 7:15. Those not having dinner may enjoy the program at no charge. To make a reservation for dinner use the order form in your MHA Newsletter or contact Barbara Taylor at 308 Braxton Dr., Indian Trail 28079, btaylor797@aol.com or 336-404-1751.

Please note that the Fellowship Hall at Trinity has been extensively renovated. It is no longer accessible from the parking lot at the rear of the building. The entrance is now at the front of the building; a the new, more accessible parking lot is located there.

Details on this presentation will be posted early in March, 2019

Next Docent Meeting

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

A Moravian Christmas Tea and Luncheon

Please join us in the Fellowship Hall of Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church for the MHA Docents’ December Tea and Luncheon, our gift to the history community to share with friends both old and new. The business meeting is at 9:45 am; the program at 10 will be followed by the tea. This year we will again accept donations for the Toys for Tots program. To participate bring a new, unwrapped toy.

Our program featuring Moravian Christmas traditions will be presented by Joyce Vance. She will explain the historic context that gave rise to the Moravian star, candle, Candle Tea, love feasts, and the Putz. A Putz is the custom of telling a story through a scenic arrangement of figurines; the Nativity Scene that we are all familiar with is a form of Putz. Our Mecklenburg ancestors had close ties to the Moravian settlement of Salem, NC as many of their daughters were educated at the Salem Female Academy, probably the finest school of this type in the state. The village of Salem was also known for its fine craftsmen and as a good place to trade and shop. We will feature some of the Moravian traditions in our food and décor.

Joyce Vance is director of Christian Education at Peace Moravian Church, and will have a lot of information to share.